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there’s not a lot of confidence coming from that video. The only way MS can make ground in this sector is by producing something that is at least half baked and taking a xbox strategy whereby they subsidise it to the point they are giving it away.

Having said that I think the consumer now gets the whole eco system thing…. itunes-app store-hardware etc.And if that is the case the Apple is at least 5 years ahead of the rest of the market.

Steve Ballmer is psychologically a man in a bunker during an air raid, talking about remodelling his house to anyone who’ll listen, when he and we already know it’s been destroyed.

I disagree. I think Ballmer is an entertainer. Does he not entertain you?

I personally didn’t make it past the part about Windows 8 being the next great thing. I guess I’m entertained in a twisted sort of way by how obviously disingenuous he is, but I really can’t stand to listen to him.

I didn’t hear him say MSFT was going to rule the market but being #1 is the goal. What else is he going to say?

The Android onslaught is hitting the market, the iPhone is outselling Windows Mobile-based smartphones and RIM isn’t about to give up any more ground without a fight.

We’ll see what the company delivers. But gaining ground in the smartphone space will be neither easy nor inexpensive. The company is fighting on many fronts but growth is buoyed by Windows 7 which is at least a mitigated success in the aftermath of Vista.

I didn’t hear him say MSFT was going to rule the market but being #1 is the goal. What else is he going to say?

The Android onslaught is hitting the market, the iPhone is outselling Windows Mobile-based smartphones and RIM isn’t about to give up any more ground without a fight.

We’ll see what the company delivers. But gaining ground in the smartphone space will be neither easy nor inexpensive. The company is fighting on many fronts but growth is buoyed by Windows 7 which is at least a mitigated success in the aftermath of Vista.

The mistake Microsoft made was sitting on past success. They were content developing mediocre upgrades to Windows Mobile to stay competitive with Symbian and the white box cell phone manufactures had nowhere else to turn. Then Apple arrived and changed the smart phone paradigm which made all the existing equipment look dated. Microsoft knew a major rework of Win Mobile was required to compete successfully and then Google appeared with Android at a price to white box makers that Microsoft couldn’t match, a perfect storm. HTC was selling 80% of the Win Mobile phones so Microsoft will have a tough time winning their business back after they release Win Mobile 7, as far as RIM, they still own the enterprise but their growth rates have peaked IMO.

The mistake Microsoft made was sitting on past success. They were content developing mediocre upgrades to Windows Mobile to stay competitive with Symbian and the white box cell phone manufactures had nowhere else to turn. Then Apple arrived and changed the smart phone paradigm which made all the existing equipment look dated. Microsoft knew a major rework of Win Mobile was required to compete successfully and then Google appeared with Android at a price to white box makers that Microsoft couldn’t match, a perfect storm. HTC was selling 80% of the Win Mobile phones so Microsoft will have a tough time winning their business back after they release Win Mobile 7, as far as RIM, they still own the enterprise but their growth rates have peaked IMO.

Even a company of Microsoft’s size can get distracted and the mobile market has changed dramatically within the past couple of years. The 3G/3GS iPhones and a reworking of the AT&T arrangement for subsidized pricing changed the dynamics of the market.

Microsoft has an uphill fight ahead. While the company has the advantage of seamless integration of Windows Mobile and enterprise Windows solutions, the PC-centric era is over and won’t provide the same allure it once did.

Microsoft’s challenge is the company can no longer rely on its Windows monopoly to sell related products as it once did and its products have to be best in class (or close to it) when shipped.